A Century of Change: 1900-2000

Adults

- Two Men Sitting - 1930s -
(BS0060)
On the left is Frank Rudman.
The 2 men are looking at the Thames,sitting at the rear of the coalyard, which was owned by Mr Weedon, and then Frank Young. It finally closed in the late 40's.

- The Haines Family - 1913 -
(BS0150)
Photo taken at Rose Cottage, Old London Rd.
Back row Left to right:-
Bernard, Elizabeth, Ellen,Tom,Annie
Front row left to right:-
Kate,Thomas,his wife Sarah,Victoria may.

- Two Ladies in Birmingham Yard -
(BS0276)
Mrs Field on left.
Mrs Painting on the right.
The building was the wheelwright’s shop. He was Mr Charlie Lewendon who lived at the Farmer’s Man.
The famous walnut tree is out of view to left of photo – outside the blacksmith's shop.
There were two "ironers" in the yard-one outside the blacksmith's shop and one outside one of the cottages. They were used to shape the iron tyres for waggon wheels.
See BS1122 below.

- Henry and Rose Lane -
(BS0277)
David Lane's grandfather's eldest brother Henry and his wife Rose, nee Rolls.
Married 1897.
David Lane's grandmother threw Henry out of the village because he was a heavy drinker.

- Mr Thomas Pether -
(BS0340)
Mr Thomas Pether in about 1932 seated behind an old wheel-less horse drawn carriage that had remained for a long period in the area behind the White Hart Hotel. Mr Pether lived in the house between the hotel and the Castle Farmhouse. It was called "Fairlight". It became unsafe, and was demolished in about 1934, eventually to become the site of the new house there in 2000. The carriage was moved in to his garden, and was used as a child's playhouse. (Source, Mr Alan Hewett).

- Mr Thomas Pether -
(BS0341)
Mr Thomas Pether leaning on the gate of his house formerly between The White Hart Hotel and the Castle Farmhouse and called Fairlight. To his right and between his property and the Hotel was a wooden shed used as both the location of the old fire engine (see BS0052) and a morgue. All three buildings are clearly shown on BS0330. Mr Pether's son was George Pether who later became the Landlord of the "Three Horseshoes" pub between 1937 and 1952 - see "Benson A Century of Change", page 211.

- Molly Saunderson -
(BS0631)
Molly Saunderson was trained at Art School in London in the 1930s. When the war came she went into nursing, and after the war she nursed a wounded officer, as his personal nurse, until he died. It is possible that he may have left her the house in Preston Crowmarsh where she lived , with her sister Joan, and where she had her studio. As she became older they decided it would be more convenient to live in the village and they moved to the cottage on the corner of Millstream.
Molly started the Benson Art Group with members of the Women's Institute, of which she was a devoted member. Later it was opened up to anyone from the village and surrounds and still flourishes today.
Molly was an accomplished watercolourist, and used her drawing skills to make cards of village scenes.
She died at around the age of eighty in the 1990s, and her sister, Joan, died two days later. They had a double funeral and were buried side by side in the Benson cemetery."

- Bertie West -
(BS1148)
Reginald Bertie West was born in 1903 and died in 1980 beqeathing an area of land now known as "The Bertie West Field" for a playing field for the children of the village. He is pictured here at his farm (Castle Farm) at what appears to be some sort of agricultural machinary demonstration. Can anyone provide more information?

- Patrick Henry Clarke -
(BS1319)
He was Headmaster of Benson C. of E school in 1883. Earlier he was Education Officer to the Royal Worcester Regiment, hence the uniform in the picture below. He was the great grandfather of Peter Clarke.

- Castle Farm (Mr West’s) -
(BS0504)
The area behind the farmhouse on which Horseshoe Lane is now built. The old British School and the roofs of Littleworth are visible in the background. It is thought Mr Bertie West is the person to the extreme left of the photo. Peter Clarke recalls collecting fresh milk in a jug from the farmhouse door as a child in the 1940s